Tragedy Like No Other
by BrucasFan1
Summary: FINAL CHAPTER! COMPLETE! Future Fic! How will the group react to the thought that they could lose one of their best friends? eMoTiOnAl FiC. A MUST read for all BRUCAS fans! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Tragedy Strikes

Her eyes started to close as she lay, on that unbelievably uncomfortable bed. She had been through so much in the past few months, so much worry, guilt and regret, but at that moment in time the chaos seemed to just stop, and everything around her seemed wonderful. The reason for this was that she'd done what she came to do…make peace, and let go. Her eyes began to open, as she reminisced over how her life had changed from bad to incredibly good over the past few months.

A young Brunette woman sat waiting for her fate to be decided. The next few moments were going to change her life, and all she could think about was how many mistakes she'd made. Her heart began to fill with regret, why did she leave the people she loved behind? The place she loved?…and the worst part about the wait of 12 and half minutes? was the fact that she had so many unanswered questions.

"Mrs. Jagelski…the doctor will see you now" Were the chosen words of the nurse, that had said them so many times to her over the past few months. She stood up and walked into the room that lay ahead of her, she saw the sympathetic look upon the doctors face and knew right there, right then, that her life was over.

After thinking very carefully, she decided to accept the invitation to Karen and Andy's wedding, but still worried about seeing the friends she'd left behind all those years ago. It's not as though she felt bad for leaving, they'd all gone there separate ways. Lucas was the only one that had stayed true to his heart, and true to the place he came from. The person she was agonizing over seeing the most, was her former best friend Peyton. She had, after all gotten married to the love of Peyton's life, Jake Jagelski. This, of course, was to spite Peyton for stealing the one person that ever understood her, the one person she ever truly loved, Lucas Scott. She sat, and wondered if she could cope with seeing her former friends, cope with the divorce she was going through, and, of course, cope with the cancer she had just been diagnosed with.

A few weeks later, the time had come to face the people she once knew so well. She hadn't seen them for over a year, and was nervous entering the gym she once loved to cheer in. Stood on the sidelines, shouting and blowing a whistle very loudly, just as Whitey use to do, was Lucas Scott. She caught his eye, and he immediately called time on the practice, as the young boys made there way to the changing rooms, Lucas walked swiftly towards her, holding his arms out for a hug.

"Man, have I missed you" he said, holding her tightly "It's been way to long pretty girl"

"…Tell me about it" she said, as Lucas broke the hug and they walked towards the benches on the sidelines of the court

"So, when did you get in?" he said, grabbing a bottle of water and taking a seat next to her

"About three hours ago, I went to the café, but your mom said you'd be here"

"Three hours in Tree Hill, and your wanting me already" he said, laughing. She always loved his smile, for one moment it made her forget about her problems, it always had done "So, where's Jake? I need to mock him on how badly his teams been playing this season?" Lucas joked

"Err, Jakes not here. Were getting a divorce, Luke" she said, quite bluntly. Lucas didn't look shocked exactly, he always knew that Brooke didn't love him

"…I'm sorry, Brooke. I didn't…"

"It's ok…really. We knew from day one that it wasn't meant to be, so, it's better this way, you know?" Brooke interrupted. Although Lucas felt bad for Brooke, he knew that it was best for her, and for Jake. "Anyway…what's going on with you?" she said, quickly changing the subject. She continued to talk to Lucas for hours in the same gym they spent most of there time growing up in, they reminisced of old times, good and bad.


	2. Back To The Norm

That night, Karen decided to throw a party, kind of a reunion gathering for everyone to catch up with each other before the wedding, that would take place in a week or two. Brooke, having spent most of the day with Lucas, hadn't been able to drop in at Peyton's, well that was her excuse…the real reason, she wasn't sure if Peyton wanted to see her, and she wasn't even sure if she wanted to see Peyton. Well, now was the time to find out, because Peyton was coming towards her

"…Hi" Peyton said, in quite a cheerful manner, that was surprising "…I heard about you and Jake" Peyton goes on, as Brooke looks confused "Lucas told Haley…Haley told Nathan, Nathan told me…I guess some things haven't changed" she said, smiling "Look, Brooke…despite what you may think I am sorry about you and Jake, and I was hoping…that seen as though you love weddings and shopping…well, from what I can remember you had an obsession for them…you could help me pick out something to wear for the wedding tomorrow?" Peyton said, clearly trying to break the ice between them

"…Yeah, I'd really like that" Brooke said, quite genuinely. For the first time since her and Peyton fell out, the awkwardness seemed to have disappeared, that was until the one thing that drove a wedge between them in the first place came over

"…Hey…I saw you smiling at each other and thought I should come and check that you hadn't accidentally inhaled some of the helium, that was used to blow the balloons up earlier?" this was the first time anyone had seen Peyton and Brooke even acknowledge each other since the fall out, and Lucas' sarcasm won a smile from both girls "It's good to see the two of you talking again…I've missed it" he said, before flashing them both a glimpse of that winning smile that melted her heart…but did it melt Peyton's too?

Later on, many of the guests had called it a night and left, leaving the original friends talking in front of the log fire in the living room of Karen's house. Brooke, however, had drawn herself away from the laughter, for a moment alone in Lucas' room. Among her thoughts were the times her and Lucas had enjoyed together a long time ago, her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps coming down the hallway towards the open door, Lucas popped his head around the door, to see her sat on his bed

"…Hey…you ok?" he said softly, sitting next to her

"…Yeah, I'm just thinking" she said, looking around the room "Nothing's changed…it looks exactly the way I remember it"

"…That's because it is…I moved out a couple of weeks after you left…no one's been in here since, no one except me" he said as Brooke got up off the bed and walked over to the selection of photos he had on top of his drawers "I didn't wanna move anything…it makes it easier to hold onto the memories, you know?" Lucas said, giving her a reason for still having photos of her in his room. She picked one of the photos of her and Lucas kissing and gently moved her finger across the top of it

"…Do you remember when this was took?" she said to Lucas, as he stood up and walked over to look at the photo "It was the same night, we got drunk…and I made you get that tattoo" she said, letting out a slight giggle

"…Yeah, how could I forget?…That tattoo nearly resulted in my mom killing me…while I was already in a coma" Lucas said, grinning "I remember the look on Keith's face when he saw it…" he said, smiling slightly.

"…How you doing without Keith, nowadays?" she said, stroking the side of his arm

"…It gets hard sometimes…Andy's been real good to me, he's helped me out a lot…and the river court guys have been great" he said, nodding his head

"…I'm sorry…I haven't been there Luke" she said, looking into his eyes and regretting that she'd left him behind all those years ago

"…I guess, we all just went our separate ways, huh?"

"…I guess so" she said, getting slightly upset…this she didn't think Lucas realised

"You coming back in there?" he said, nodding his head towards were the others were sat in the living room

"…Yeah, ill be there in a sec" she said, as he kissed her on the forehead, he'd clearly realised she was upset because it was the first time his lips had touched her since their break-up. As he walked out of the room, she put the photo of him and her back on top of the drawers and a tear rolled down her cheek. She may have thought that things with Lucas would never be the same again, but her friendship with Peyton seemed to be back to the way it was. They had spent the next few days shopping, partying and sharing secrets…they had even gone as far as to use the term "Hoe's Over Bro's". Both girls had missed the friendship so much, and vowed to stay in touch after the wedding celebrations were over.

It was the night before the wedding, Karen and the girls were having a hen party at Tric whilst Andy and some of the guys were making there way through the clubs in town. The girls were having fun and reminiscing of old times, she finally felt like she belonged again…like this was were she was suppose to be, Karen had been like a mom to her…and still was, Deb had finally got rid of Dan, and seemed happy…more happy than she'd ever been before, Haley had the life she'd always deserved, and always wanted, and Peyton…well, Peyton was her best friend again. She hadn't been this happy in a very long time, and knew it was because she had the people she loved around her…the people of Tree Hill.


	3. Truthful Lies

The doctors had told her not to drink with the pills she were taking, but that didn't seem to stop her…deep down she knew that the pills weren't going delay her death, and wasn't even sure if she wanted it delaying, she wanted to go when she was meant to. Not a second sooner, or later. There was a raw of laughter as her and Peyton stumbled into the bathroom at Tric, what were they laughing at? I don't even think they knew.

"…Alright, hands down…Deb, the best looking woman over 35...I've ever seen" Peyton said, laughing loudly as Brooke threw her a funny look

"…We definitely need to get you a guy P. Sawyer…" Brooke said, putting down her bag at the side of the washbasin "Ok, I think I need to pee…no, wait a sec…no, I don't" she stood there contemplating with herself "…Orh, maybe I do…mmmm" she thought for a second

"GO…for the love of god woman!" Peyton said pushing her into one of the cubicles.

"You know…I don't understand why guys are allowed to go to the bathroom in front of each other but girls aren't?…" Brooke said, from inside the cubicle, while Peyton laughed and touched up her make up in the mirror "I mean how the hell can a guy start acting all macho…after he's just been eyeing up someone else's…well, you know?" she said, coming from out of the cubicle to find Peyton stood with a box of pills in her hand. This was the last thing she wanted, she didn't come to the wedding for people to feel sorry for her…she didn't come for sympathy, she came to have fun, and to put the past behind her. How could she have been so stupid as to have left her bag on the counter, open, for the whole world to see her secret.

"…What are these for?" asked Peyton, quite nervously. Brooke didn't answer "…What's going on with you?" she had answers for Peyton's questions, she just didn't want to give them, instead she took the pills from Peyton's hands, put them back into her bag and touched up her hair in the mirror, as if nothing had happened "…Brooke?…" Peyton still looked for answers "…Tell me what's going on?…are you sick?"

"…I really don't wanna talk about this, Peyton…not here, not now" she said, getting slightly upset

"…Is it serious?" Peyton said, not wanting to give up

"…Please don't make me do this, Peyton…I've done well, ok…I'm doing well" she said, referring to how she'd dealt with the whole situation…this was clearly a lie…she wasn't doing well, she wasn't doing well at all. Peyton may not have been there for Brooke in the last few years, but she knew when her best friend was upset

"…Your clearly not doing well, Brooke…" Peyton said, as she saw tears rolling down her cheeks "…Come on, this is me where talking about here…you can talk to me"

"…Not about this…I wont be the one to do that to you again" she said, referring to what Peyton had to deal with when she found that Ellie had cancer.

"…What do you mean? do that to me again?" Peyton asked, confused

"…I don't know what I mean, ok…I've had a lot to drink, the vision of Whitey, almost stripping is still spinning round in my head, and I'm sure there's something in the air in Tree Hill, it's like every time I'm here…" her rambling is interrupted

"…The pills…Ellie was taking those, when…" suddenly it clicks in Peyton's head. Her jaw drops and she puts the palm of her right hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming, tears begin to roll down her face "…Your gonna, be alright though? Tell me your gonna be ok?" Peyton pleaded with Brooke

"…Of course I am" she lied "You really think I'm gonna give up on our friendship now?" she covered her lies, with a slight giggle and a half smile "Now, sort those Panda eyes out. Do…something…with that awful hair, and compose yourself P. Sawyer…there are guys out there, you know?" she said, pointing outside the bathroom. She'd always been good at covering her feelings with a smile, and lame small talk…sometimes, she just wished someone would snap her out of it, put her in her place and tell her to stop being so foolish and face up to her problems. But, the real problem she had was that she'd gotten so good at building that brick wall around her, that half the time no one even noticed it was there.


	4. Guy Talk

Back at Andy's stag do, Nathan and Lucas had taken some time away from the rest of the guys, who were getting more alcohol fuelled by the second. They sat on a big leather sofa at the back of the club, and talked about everything, from sports, to cars, to girls. A conversation about how Haley was doing, living in somewhere other than Tree Hill, quickly turned into how good it was to have Brooke back. This was all Lucas' doing, of course.

"…It's weird, up until now, I thought my life was going pretty great, ya know?…and then Brooke comes back…and it's like…it's like, no matter how bad my day is, seeing her just makes me happy. I don't know what it is" Lucas said, as Nathan threw him a look "What?"

"Err, I know what it is?…your into her" Nathan said, in an obvious way. Lucas paused and then began to laugh, Nathan just stared at him, knowing full well that what he was saying was the truth. Lucas was into Brooke, he always had been as far as Nathan was concerned. He just couldn't believe Lucas couldn't see it

"Ok…your crazy. There's no way I'm into Brooke…friends, yes…girlfriend, no" he said, bluntly

"…Alright, whatever you say, man" Nathan said, clearly not believing a word Lucas had just said, he stood up and began to walk towards the bar. Lucas followed

"I'm being serious, dude. There's nothing between me and Brooke" Nathan just nodded his head at Lucas' words "…I mean, is she attractive?…yeah, of course, but that doesn't mean I'm into her. She's a funny, sweet, amazing girl…but that doesn't mean I'm in love with her" Finally Lucas got a reaction out of Nathan, he looked shocked to hear Lucas say 'love', a word he hadn't used in so long

"Hey, I never said you loved her…I just thought you were into her" Nathan said, shocked "Are you in love with her?" he asked. Lucas began to laugh at the fact Nathan had fell for it. Nathan then realised that Lucas had only said it to provoke a reaction from him

"You are too easy, man" Lucas said, as he laughed. Nathan smiled too

"…So, I heard Brooke and Peyton have been spending a lot of time together…do you think there planning some sort of revenge on you?" Nathan said, sarcastically. Lucas just threw him an evil look "Come on, man. They haven't said a word to each other, in what? Two years, and now they come back and everything's fine again" Lucas just rolled his eyes at Nathan "All I'm saying is, just watch your back, alright man?"

"Have you ever thought, that maybe they just grew up and realised it's a waste of time to be bitter about something that doesn't even matter anymore?" Lucas said, implying that Nathan should grow up too. Nathan just shrugged his shoulders

"…It could be a possibility" Nathan said, as Lucas made his way towards the bathroom. As he entered the bathroom, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He stood there for a few seconds, staring back at his reflection. He wanted to think of something other than her, other than her lips…other than her smile, not the dimples in her cheeks, and definitely not the way she made him feel, but he just couldn't stop himself. He loved the way she made him feel, even though he didn't understand it. But he couldn't let himself get too attached, he had to stop himself from feeling like this because in a few days, she would be going home, going back to her old life, the life that he wasn't a part of. He took his cell from his pocket and found her number, it began to ring. He held it to his ear, just waiting to hear the soft tone of her voice

"Hey dude" said Peyton, obviously a little drunk "How's the stag party going?…because the girls are tearing up this place. I think we may have to send your mom home soon" she said laughing, as she looked at Karen dancing on the bar at Tric "She even tried it on with Tim, what Tim was doing at the girls hen party is a mystery…oh, wait. It's Tim, not such a mystery now" she rambled on


	5. Nothings Changed

It was the day of the wedding, and although every guest that would be attending was nursing a fairly bad hangover, spirits were still high on Karen's big day. The girls were getting ready at Karen's. Brooke and Peyton were doing their makeup in Lucas' old room

"So, are we ever gonna talk about what went on last night?" Peyton said, awkwardly but firmly. There was know way Brooke was going to talk about this and wanted to avoid the subject at all costs

"…Err, yeah. Ok, there was a hen party…Karen got real drunk and made a fool of herself…then we had to carry her home" she said, sarcastically

"…Thanks for that, Brooke!" Karen shouted from the hallway "I'm so glad I chose you as one of my bridesmaids" she said. Peyton realised that their conversation could be heard and closed the door

"…Brooke, you know what I mean?" Peyton said, wanting an explanation. Brooke took a deep breath to give herself time to prepare an answer, that sounded real

"…I told you everything there was to know last night. I'm gonna be fine…so, stop your worrying…I just wanna get through one day without having to think about it" she said, nicely. Peyton thought for a while, doubting Brooke's words. But it wasn't like she could question it, even if it wasn't the truth, Peyton hadn't been there for her in years. She couldn't start ordering answers from her now. Then there was a knock at the door…

"…Hey, you girls decent?" Lucas asked from behind the door

"…Yeah" Peyton said, Lucas then entered the room

"…The amount of times you walked in on me half naked, when I was living here…not once did you ask me If I was decent" Brooke said, truthfully. She then stood up and walked over to her makeup bag, and got a brush from it

"That's because I knew that you never were…" Lucas said, in a flirty way. Brooke did a mock laugh, and hit the side of his face with the makeup brush. She then sat down in front of the mirror

"…Or, maybe it was just because you were into me?…" she said, flirting back a little. Lucas looked at her and raised an eyebrow. She loved the fact that after all they'd been through, after years of not speaking, her and Lucas were still as close as they'd ever been. She loved the way she could still tease him, and make him smile. The only thing she was scared of, coming back to Tree Hill was that things might have changed, but she was proven wrong. Things hadn't changed at all, it was like she'd never been away, everything just fell right back into place.

"What are you doing here anyway?" asked Peyton "Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"It's 10am…the wedding doesn't start until 3" answered Lucas "I've got heaps of time…unlike you guys I don't have to make myself look pretty…I'm already pretty fine as it is" he said, looking in the mirror, that Brooke was facing.

"…Shut up…" Brooke teased, pushing his face out of the way. Haley opened the door

"Oh, who'd have thought it?" said Haley, as she saw Lucas "…Lucas Scott…hanging around a house that he knows is full of half naked girls" she said, jabbing him in the stomach as she walked past

"…Actually, I just came to get my cell" he said, looking around the room

"It's in your top drawer…" Brooke said. Lucas opened the drawer and grabbed the cell, he saw that the screensaver had been changed from a picture of his car to a picture of Brooke. Brooke saw his reaction and explained herself "Oh, yeah. I changed your wallpaper, I just thought you might prefer to look at me rather than a rusty old car" she said, not caring that they were all looking at her funny "I also read your messages…" she said, continuing to put her makeup on

"…Well, it's nice to see that Brooke Davis hasn't become shy over the years…" he said, smiling at her …"Alright, well, I'm gonna take off…before all the cat fights begin…"

"…Yeah, I don't blame you" Peyton said, raising her eyebrows "Even I'm not looking forward to Brooke's annual 'Who the HELL creased my dress' tantrum" she continued. Brooke through her an evil look, and she looked away, while Haley giggled.

"…I do NOT have tantrums!" Brooke said, using an harsh tone. Her pout and wrinkled forehead proved that what Peyton said, was right. Brooke was the queen of tantrums, and Lucas knew this. That's why he wanted to make a quick getaway

"Alright, I'll see you guys" Lucas said, making a beeline towards the door

"…Hey, hey, hey. Where's my cuddle?" Haley said, stretching out her arms for a hug "Surely, your not gonna leave me here with all these catty girls without wishing me luck?" Lucas walked over to her and hugged her, he then hugged Peyton, and then wrapped his arms around Brooke's neck from behind. She loved it when he was affectionate towards her, but she didn't want it to seem that way.

"Smudge my makeup and you die" Brooke stated

"…It's times like these when I thank god I'm a guy…" he said, as he released Brooke and walked towards the door "Catch you girls later" he exited, as the girls waved him out

"Err, I need some help!…I think I'm stuck in my dress" Karen shouted from her bedroom. Brooke and Peyton looked straight at Haley, Haley sighed and began to walk out the room

"Oh, I'll go" she said, knowing that know one else would. Brooke and Peyton, just laughed at each other


	6. Tears And Fears

The girls finally arrived at the wedding looking like the past few hours of panic, despair and bawling hadn't just happened. They'd shouted and screamed at each other, they even came close to pulling each other's hair, but it was all forgotten when riding up in that white limo. All the girls, excluding Karen, who was riding in a horse and carriage five minutes away, got out of the limo as it pulled up to the outdoor wedding service. The bridesmaids were dressed in cream, silk dresses and everyone else looked pretty good too. Brooke was the last one too get out of the limo, but the first one that Lucas really noticed. She closed the door to the limo, and Lucas began walking towards her quite slowly but he kept eye contact all the way.

"…You look…erm, you look" he began to stutter "…You look…" again, he just couldn't seem to find the words

"Absolutely gorgeous?…" Brooke finished his sentence for him "…Yeah, I know" she said, confidently. He smiled at her and agreed with the fact that she looked good "So, when did you guys get here?" she asked, making conversation with him while they waited for Karen to arrive

"…Err, about…err,…20mintues ago" he said, still staring at her. He obviously wasn't really interested in what she was saying, just what she was wearing, he continued to look her up and down

"…Come on, stop it, Luke" she said, nudging him in the stomach. She didn't want him to stop of course, she'd waited years for Lucas to look at her like that again, and despite what she might say and want people to believe, she never wanted it to stop

"…I'm sorry" he apologised, still looking at her "It's just been a while since I…saw you looking like that" he said, looking up to her face for the first time since she emerged from the limo. They both smiled, hugely at each other and held their gaze, Nathan and Haley then came over and broke the stare

"Ok, we were just stood over there and Nathan seemed to think that you were just checking her out" Haley said, pointing at Brooke. Judging by her choice of words, Haley clearly wasn't holding anything back "And, I said that that's ridiculous…" Haley said, whilst Brooke threw her a look, obviously offended by Haley's thoughts that Lucas wouldn't be checking her out "…because, although Brooke looks really nice…" Haley continued, saying the latter for Brooke's benefit, it worked judging by the smile that appeared on her face "…Lucas doesn't see her in that way anymore…so he suggested we come over and ask you…ya know? To see who was right?"

"So, you just put me through 10seconds of embarrassment by asking me if I was checking out my ex-girlfriend, who I havent seen or spoke too in three years…so that you and hubby over there could see who was right in some dumb argument?" Lucas said, in a jokingly manner

"…Yeah. So?…" Haley asked

"So? what?" Brooke said, raising her eyebrows

"So, who was right?…" asked Nathan, clearly not letting this one go. Lucas then looked at Brooke, she started to smile.

"I wasn't checking her out…" Lucas said, trying to close the subject.

"Ha!" Haley said, in Nathan's ear

"Oh…my…god!" said Brooke, looking at Lucas "You were SO checking me out…it was like there was an overseas satellite link between our words…it took you that long to respond"

"Ha!" Nathan said, in Haley's ear

"I might have glanced in your direction once, or twice…but I wasn't checking you out…" Lucas said, getting more embarrassed by the second. Skillz and Mouth then walked over

"Hey dawg…the word on the street is that you've been vibeing on Miss. Davis again" Skillz said, patting Lucas on the shoulder. Lucas just let his head drop into his hands, wondering how something so small got made into something so big. The others, on the other hand just laughed at his reaction

Karen and Andy had said their vows, made their promises and officially become man and wife, they had had their first dance, drank a fair amount and were celebrating their new life. Sure, it'd taken her mind off the life threatening disease that was slowly taking over her body, but sooner or later she'd have to go back to the life she'd grown so afraid of, a life of loneliness, emptiness and unhappiness. She sat at one of the white tables at the outdoor wedding party, the thoughts of what she'd done wrong, the things she'd missed took over her mind. Her eyes began to fill with tears, just at that moment the moment she needed him most, he appeared. But she didn't want him to see her like this, she didn't want him feeling sorry for her, or becoming suspicious that something was wrong so took the compact from her purse and tried too compose herself as he sat down beside her

"Hey…" he said, softly. Not realising anything was wrong, until she looked up from her mirror, her eyes were red. Not a puffy, noticeable kinda red, but Lucas noticed when anything was wrong "…What's wrong?" he said, lifting her chin so he could look her in the eye

"Oh…nothing, I'm just be a total girl" she answered, making yet more excuses. She didn't want to lie to him, she hated lying to him, she didn't want to lie to any of them. But in a weeks time, she'd be going back to her life which was so distant from this one, in more ways than one

"…Oh, right. Weddings?" he figured that's what had got her so emotional "You were always a sucker for them…" he said, putting his arm round her. A song then came on, and Brooke immediately looked up as she remembered that this was the same song that was playing in the car, the day she left Tree Hill, the day she made the biggest mistake of her life.

"Hey, you wanna dance?" Lucas asked. Brooke nodded and he took her hand and led her over to were other people had taken to the floor. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he kissed the top of her forehead. The last time she heard this song was three years ago, yet the feelings she felt back then were exactly the same feelings she was feeling now, except for one difference. Three years ago she had forever to fix her mistakes, to live with no regrets, since then forever has become a whole lot shorter


	7. Banana Suprise

As the party drew to an end, and the darkness creped in, many of the guests had decided that it was time to call it a night. As Karen and Andy were a little drunk, and ecstatic that they were on their way to the Caribbean for their honeymoon, they had agreed to let Lucas, Brooke, Peyton, Nathan and Haley stay at their home for the night, it was difficult for them to get a cab out of town to their hotel, that's the excuse Lucas had used anyway. The real reason, was because in the back of their heads they all knew that in a few days, they'd be going back to their lives thousands of miles apart from each other. And, although they had agreed to stay in touch and visit one another, the thought of being separated again still filled them with sadness. They had been sat in the kitchen area of Karen's house for well over four hours, talking about old times, catching up on each other's lives and reminiscing

"Ok, that's so not fair…" Haley said, grabbing Lucas' face by his chin "…My woolly hat and my poncho were not fashion mistakes, they were…" Haley thinks of way to try and defend herself

"…Fashion disasters" Brooke said, gaining a laugh from everyone. Haley threw her a mock smile "I don't think your one to point the finger anyway, Scott" Brooke said, raising her eyebrows at Lucas

"Hey, their was absolutely nothing wrong with my fashion sense" he said, confidently

"Oh, yeah. Well, I seem to remember your mom showing me a picture of you in a yellow cowboy hat, an anorak and a pair of baseball shoes" Brooke said, once again gaining roars from the girls

"I was ten!" Lucas raises his voice, over the laughs

"Soooo…that's know excuse, you still have eyes don't you?" Brooke said, teasing Lucas

"And, I'm sure you dressed real nice when you were ten?" Lucas directed his question at Brooke, who was still laughing

"Actually…she's always been a pretty good dresser. Even when we where like six, she'd have all the make up on, the short skirt…the bra showing" Peyton said, making gestures with her hands

"So, nothings changed then?" Lucas said, taking a sip from his coffee. Brooke, jabbed him in the shoulder

"You wore a bra when you were six?" Nathan asked, finding that a little weird

"…Yeah, what's your point?" Brooke said, bluntly. Lucas and Nathan gave each other a funny look, which Brooke didn't see as she was too busy scoffing her face with the marshmallows that were in a dish in the centre of the table

"Hey…you remember that time we got drunk and you were sick in Dan's lap?" Nathan said, to Haley whilst laughing

"Wo, wo. You were sick in Dan's lap?" Peyton said, as the others looked shocked. Haley just shook her head proudly, the others started laughing

"That was the exact moment I knew I wanted to marry her…" Nathan said, Haley smiled sarcastically

"I remember a time you were almost sick on me" Lucas said "Right before you went on at Tric for the first time" the others all made noises to agree with Lucas

"That was fun-ny" Brooke said, putting emphasis on the word 'funny' to reinforce the statement

"Brooke!" Haley said, offended "It was not funny"

"Oh, come on, Hales" Peyton said, agreeing with Brooke "You were virtually having a panic attack…"

"…I could hear your heart beating louder than the music" Lucas said, agreeing with the girls

"Yeah, well that was probably because all I could hear was Felix shouting 'you suck!'" Haley said, throwing Brooke an evil

"Jackass" Lucas said, under his breath. Remembering how much he disliked Felix

"Oh, you just didn't like him because he wouldn't let you do his sister" protested Brooke

"No. He didn't like him because he was doing you" Nathan said, not noticing Lucas' reaction as he drank from his coffee mug

"Orrrhhhhh, honey" Brooke said, grabbing Lucas around the neck and pulling him close to her in a playful manner. She loved reminiscing of old times, it made her feel like she'd never left Tree Hill to begin with

"You know…I cant believe I'm gonna say this, but you know what I actually miss?" Peyton said, as the others shook their heads "I miss The Classic, all the girls together, having fun"

"…Brooke, screaming in your face till 5am…oh, yeah, I loved it" Haley said, sarcastically

"Well, if it didn't take you like, oh I don't know, fifty tries to get the routine right, I wouldn't have to scream" Brooke waved her arms in front of her, whilst looking at Haley

"It's good to see that you girls have grown up since high school" Nathan nodded. The girls looked at each other, knowing that he was right

"Orrh, I miss high school" Haley looked sorry for herself

"…We had some good times, right?" Peyton smiled

"Yeah, it was going pretty good till the school got shot up" Nathan said, bluntly. Reminding the others that high school wasn't all good. On Nathan's words Brooke felt a shiver run through her, she folded her arms around her body, just trying to keep herself warm

"…That was the day that changed it all" Lucas whispered, as they all stared into the centre of the table, remembering the day that a student had come into the school with a gun. There was a pause where know one spoke, each one of them then realised that through everything they still had each other. They began to smile softly at each one another, Nathan and Lucas patted each other on the back whilst the girls huddled together.

Lucas awoke to the smell of burnt bananas, for a second he wondered if he was going insane. He turned over and glanced at the clock, whilst rubbing his eyes, it was 3am. He then dragged himself of the sofa, where he had been sleeping, and followed the smell through to the kitchen. There he saw Brooke and Peyton dressed in their old cheerleading outfits, which they had dug out o Lucas' old wardrobe. Brooke and Peyton had stored some of their stuff in there a few years back and had never collected it. They began doing a cheer routine in the centre of the kitchen, both of them with their backs to where Lucas was stood. They both laughed, hysterically whilst telling each other to 'shhh' as to not wake any of the others up. Lucas crossed his arms and leant against the side of the door frame, smiling at how happy they were. Half way through the routine the girls spun round, both seeing Lucas in the doorway laughing, they immediately stopped and felt embarrassment fill their faces

"…Did we wake you?" Brooke asked, coyly. Whilst biting her lip

"No, the smell of burnt bananas woke me" Lucas said, looking confused. Peyton then instantly remembered the food that her and Brooke had began cooking quite a while ago, she walked swiftly over to the oven and opened the door, Brooke followed

"Ohhh" Brooke sighed "We burnt our banana surprise…" she said, unwrapping the tin foil

"Banana surprise?" Lucas asked, still a little confused. He walked over to where the girls were stood and looked at what they had cooked

"It's sliced bananas, and chocolate sauce" Peyton said, pointing at the packet she was holding "It's tradition, you have to have it at a slumber party…" Peyton said, knowingly. Whilst Brooke nodded in agreement "…It still looks edible" Peyton wondered, looking down at the bananas. Brooke then smiled and grabbed two forks from the drawer, her and Peyton sat at the kitchen table and began eating the banana surprise, whilst making 'mmmm' noises

"Try some…" Brooke waved Lucas over from where he was stood, and held her fork to his mouth, Lucas ate it and a look of approval came across his face "See…" Brooke said, knowing that Lucas probably had thought her and Peyton were crazy for cooking bananas and chocolate sauce. There was a slight pause, where Brooke and Peyton continued to eat, Lucas still looked them both up and down and laughed to himself, Brooke and Peyton noticing this looked embarrassed once again

"Shut up…" Brooke and Peyton both said together, playfully.


	8. Now Or Never

After realising today was going to be the last full day they'd be spending in Tree Hill, Peyton and Brooke had been on a downer all morning, so Lucas said they could have a party at his house…a sort of leaving party. They invited Bevin, and many of the cheerleaders they'd known from school, and Lucas had invited a load of friends he had made since leaving high school and some of the original gang, like Skillz and Mouth. The sun seemed to be brighter than it'd ever been in Tree Hill before, the sky was clear and it was one of the hottest days of the year, so it was a good thing Lucas had a hot tub in his garden. Lucas was laid out on a deck chair outside, whilst the girls were sunbathing around the hot tub. Brooke walked over to were Lucas was sat and began collecting the empty bottles and food cartons that were scattered around were the boys had been sat. Lucas kicked her, playfully, in the ass as she bent down to pick a bottle up, she smiled at him and continued, he then did it again

"Cut it out" she said, jokingly. He did it once again "Luke, come on…cut it out" she jabbed him in the stomach, as she continued picking rubbish from the floor

"Sit with me…" Lucas said, budging up. Brooke put the bottles she had in her hand on the table next to Lucas' chair and laid down next to him "…You having a good time?" he asked, clearly dodging what he really wanted to say

"Yeah, I'm having a really good time" she said, looking over at were Peyton, Haley and some others were sat in the hot tub "But, all this just makes it harder to leave tomorrow" she continued, whilst looking around at everyone. Lucas paused for a second, he linked fingers with her and looked at her

"Then don't…don't go" he said, smiling

"Oh, Lucas…" she sighed. She loved that he cared so much about her, but deep down inside she knew she couldn't stay, even if she wanted too. Her illness made it too complicated, she couldn't deal with telling anyone, especially Lucas "I cant stay…you know I cant" she said, looking at were he still had hold of her hand

"Why not?…it'd be easy for you to get a job in fashion here, with the qualifications you've got" Lucas said, trying to convince her "…You belong here, Brooke…this is your home"

"…Your right, Luke. This my home…" Lucas' face filled with hope "…But it's not were I live, anymore…"

"So, what?…your homes here…but your house is there?" Lucas asked, the tone of his voice becoming a little harsh

"No, my life's there, Lucas" she said, inventing reasons so that she didn't have to tell him the real truth why she couldn't stay in Tree Hill. Lucas became annoyed, he wanted her to stay so much, he couldn't hide the way he felt

"Fine…go back to California, go live a lie, Brooke. You've been doing it for long enough now…" he said, harshly. He then stood up, grabbed his drink from beside the deck chair and walked into the house through the patio doors, Brooke sighed as she watched him walk away. Haley then walked up and sat beside her

"What's up with him?" Haley asked, having just seen the way he'd rushed off

"He wants me to stay in Tree Hill…" Brooke said, quietly

"Well, that's a surprise…I hate to admit it, but Nate was right…he was vibeing on you at the wedding, and he's been vibeing on you ever since…" Haley patted Brooke on the back. Brooke thought for a moment, wishing Haley was right, but if she was, why wouldn't he just say it? Why wouldn't he just tell her the way he really felt? he'd never held anything back from her before, so why do it now?…maybe the reason was that he didn't really feel that way about her, and Haley and Nathan were just reading the signals wrong

"…It's not like that…were just friends" Brooke said, feeling upset inside, as she came to terms with the fact that her and Lucas were over…for good. Haley shrugged at Brooke's words whilst still believing differently

A couple of hours later, Lucas and Brooke had not really spoken directly too each other. Brooke wanted to give him some space, and Lucas hadn't plucked up the courage yet to talk to her, after being a bit harsh on her, about not staying in Tree Hill. Brooke was sat alone at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, eating a bowl of fruit. Lucas walked in from outside and began opening a bottle of beer opposite her. There were a few seconds of silence, but the seconds seemed liked hours to Lucas, whilst he tried to think of some way of breaking the tension between the two of them

"So…" he said, opening his bottle "I heard that, that Lucas guy was kinda a jerk to you earlier?" Brooke looked up at him and smiled, teasingly

"_Kinda_?" she said, implying he was more than 'kinda' a jerk to her. Lucas sighed whilst holding his head back

"I do think that you _kinda _drove him to it, though" he leant his head to one side, whilst looking at her

"Is this suppose to be an apology, coz it sucks…" she stood up, and walked over to the bin to put the remains of what she'd eaten in there

"I'm sorry, alright?…I was an ass" he apologised, he then walked over to her and they hugged, her standing on her toes so she could reach him. They broke the embrace after a few minutes. Lucas paused for a second, whilst looking into her eyes, for a moment he wondered if he should tell her how he really felt about her. But, he knew that would only complicate things, he knew he didn't want her to leave…but he didn't want her to give her whole life up for him, the life she'd built for the past three years. She'd moved on…she'd moved on, and left him behind

"What?" she teased, wondering what he was thinking of whilst staring at her. She hoped he'd just say it, she hoped that if he felt something for he he'd just say it. Lucas took I huge breath, it was now or never...


	9. Fatal Attraction

"…I'm gonna miss you…so much" Lucas whispered, as he thought that it was obviously never, he'd blown it. He put his arm around Brooke, and she rested her head on his chest. They both sighed, as they realised that the moment had passed, and it was too late. They stood in each others arms for a few minutes, looking out into the garden were everyone was having fun

"We better go…socialise" Brooke said, pointing outside to the others, Lucas nodded and picked up his beer following Brooke outside.

"Brooke!…get in" Bevin shouted over from the hot tub, were she and all of the girls were relaxing. Brooke gave a sweet smile to Lucas and made her way over towards the girls, while Lucas walked towards the boys, who were playing a game of football

"You blew it didn't you?" Nathan asked, patting Lucas on the back, Lucas nodded in agreement "She leaves tomorrow, man…just remember that" Lucas looked over his shoulder, and caught Brooke's eye. She winked at him, then she felt something sweep over her. Her eyes glazed over, she was looking straight at Lucas, she knew she was, but she couldn't see him. All she could see was a blurry shape, she wanted to focus, focus on staying upright, but she couldn't and that made her panic even more. She felt herself become cold, she felt shivers through her heart and knew that she was no longer in control of her body, and that was the scariest thought of them all. She felt was her back crash to the ground, and even that should have felt more painful. She felt her body begin to twitch, she wanted to stop but couldn't

"BROOKE!" Lucas shouted, running over to her "BROOKE!" he yelled once again, he knelt by her side and held her hand, whilst rubbing the top of her head. That was the last thing she felt, the last words she heard and she wasn't sure if she'd every feel or hear anything else again. Everyone else, hearing Lucas' cries ran over to Brooke's side. Peyton knelt the other side of Brooke, she checked for her pulse

"Bevin, there are some pills in Brooke's bag…" Peyton said, rather calmly to Bevin. Bevin ran immediately indoors "Someone call an ambulance!" she spoke to the whole group, Nathan dialled from his cell

"Peyton, what's going on?" Lucas screamed, Peyton looked over to Lucas, tears glazed over her eyes "Peyton, what's wrong with her?…is she sick?" Peyton couldn't bring herself to answer him "PEYTON! TELL ME WHATS GOING ON" Lucas roared at her. Peyton closed her eyes, and rubbed the top of Brooke's head

"…She's got…she's got…cancer" Peyton said, quietly, but somehow the whole group managed to hear. They waited for Lucas' reaction. Lucas gritted his teeth so hard, that his whole body began to twitch. He brought Brooke's hand up to his mouth and kissed the top of it, he then began to glide his hand through her hair. He felt tears began to glaze over his eyes, all the time not taking his eyes from Brooke. Nathan seeing his reaction, backed everyone else away. Leaving Haley, Lucas and Peyton to sit beside Brooke's body. After several minutes of silence, Lucas spoke

"Where's the ambulance?" he asked quietly

"Nathan called, it'll be here soon" Haley said, softly. Rubbing Lucas' back

"SOON ISNT GOOD ENOUGH!" Lucas yelled, causing everyone to face his direction "Soon isn't good enough!…they need to be here now!" Lucas cried, Haley knelt up so that she was higher than him and clasped his head whilst bringing it closer to her

"It's ok honey…it's ok" Haley said, rocking him back and forth whilst Lucas physically and mentally broke down

"Peyton" Bevin whispered, moving towards Peyton's side "I found Brooke's bag…there were no pills in it…" Bevin continued, holding Brooke's open bag in Peyton's direction. Peyton took a deep breath in, and closed her eyes as she exhaled. She looked over in Brooke's direction

"Oh, Brooke…" Peyton whispered, shaking her head in denial that she had not been taking her medication. Another few seconds of silence washed over the group, as they all tried to come to terms with the situation they had been faced with. Three men, then clattered a stretcher around the back of Lucas' house, this broke the silence

"Someone called an ambulance?" one of the men said, as they all made their way over to Brooke's side, and began putting her on the stretcher "Does anyone have any idea why this might have happened?" another of the men asked, whilst carrying Brooke towards the ambulance, Lucas still holding her hand. And Haley, Nathan and Peyton following

"Err, yeah. She's got, err, she's got…" Peyton couldn't bring herself to say it again, she just stared down at Brooke's body, as fear crept into her mind. Haley, seeing this, put her arm around Peyton

"She's got cancer…and we don't think that she's been taking her medication.." Haley continued for Peyton

"Ok, just two in the ambulance, please folks" the man, said, as he pushed the stretcher into the back. It was obvious Lucas had taken up one of those places as he hadn't let go of her hand yet, Haley and Peyton looked at each other, wondering who should go

"Go…we'll follow" Haley said, pushing Peyton towards the back of the ambulance. Peyton got in and sat beside Lucas, the man shut the door. Everyone watched as it pulled away, Haley crying, and Nathan comforting her


	10. Facing The Truth

It was the most tense atmosphere, both Lucas or Peyton had ever felt. The wait was getting unbearable, they had nothing to do but think. Think about what was happening, what might happen and what had happened, the wait gave them a chance to run threw the situation in their heads, not that they wanted to. Lucas paced up and down, from one end of the waiting room to another, whilst Peyton sat with her hands clasped around the brow of her head, both of them imagining the worst.

"Lucas, please sit down…" Peyton asked, nicely. Lucas stopped and looked at Peyton "Please" she asked, once again. Lucas did as Peyton requested and took a seat next to her. Suddenly, Haley and Nathan came rushing through the double doors at the bottom of the room

"Hey, hows she doing?" Haley panicked

"I don't know, we haven't heard anything yet" Peyton said, looking up in Haley's direction, her eyes red and soar from the crying she'd been doing in the ambulance

"What the hells taking so long anyway?…" Lucas watched the door that the paramedics had taken Brooke in minutes ago. Just then the door opened, Lucas and Peyton instantly rose to their feet. The doctor, a young red haired woman, began talking to several nurses and other doctors about Brooke's situation. The red haired woman then turned to face the group, on seeing them she looked sympathetically

"Is that Rachel?" asked Nathan, clearly a little shocked. The others looked on, as Rachel walked over

"I'm guessing you guys are with Brooke?" Rachel asked, obviously knowing the answer

"How she doing? Can we see her?" Lucas said, hurriedly

"Well, she's conscious and stable…" the group looked at each other, relieved that they'd finally received some good news "…She became weak because she wasn't taking the medication that was prescribed to her, that's what caused the blackout. But, the cancers still there, I'm afraid, so she's going to have to stay in the hospital…you'll be let in to see her in about 15mintues" Rachel stated to the group

"How long will she have to stay here for?" Haley questioned.

"…For the rest of her time…" Rachel knew the news she was giving them was bound to be harsh, but they seemed shocked at the her words "You do know how serious the cancer is, don't you?" Rachel asked, none of them answered. This reaction gave Rachel her answer

"She told me she was ok, that it was treatable" Peyton whispered, looking around at the group. Rachel knew that she had to be the one to give them the news that they so badly didn't want to hear, but that didn't make it any easier telling them. She took a deep breath, she'd done this so many times, but this was different. She once knew these people so well, maybe she didn't get on with them at the best of times, but she wouldn't wish this upon anyone

"…The cancerous disease has spread its way through her nerves, and got into the blood stream that flows through most of her body…" Rachel stated, but she could clearly see that her surgical lingo wasn't getting through into the minds of her former schoolmates

"Rachel?…" Nathan said, wanting to hear the truth

"The cancer isn't treatable…she's got two weeks tops…I'm sorry, you guys, I really am" for a few seconds know one reacted "I'm gonna go talk to the other doctor, to see when they'll let you in…" Rachel continued, still not getting a reaction from anyone "…I'm sorry" she said, before she walked away. Peyton turned around and ran her hands threw her hair, Haley fell into Nathan's arms, both of them began to cry. Lucas stood, slouched with his arms draped by his sides, staring at the door in which Brooke was laid behind, so full of pain. It seemed like his heart and mind where in two different bodies, his heart kept trying to explain to his mind what he was feeling, what was happening to him, but it wasn't clear. Was he upset? Depressed? Guilty? Angry?…the truth was he was feeling all of these emotions, and all that the same time. He felt like the walls where closing in on him, getting closer and closer, it made him feel like he couldn't breath, like the pressure was building up inside of him, he wanted to shout, to scream, he suddenly spun around and walked rapidly towards the door kicking the steel bin across the room on his way. He slammed the palm of his hand on the door and pushed it with all of his force, so that it smashed against the wall on the other side, it swung back and forth, back and forth as Lucas' figure was visibly becoming smaller as he exited the building. Peyton, Nathan and Haley couldn't do anything but watch his reaction, they couldn't help him because they didn't know how too. They were feeling exactly the same way, they wanted to do exactly the same thing. They all huddled in the centre of the waiting room, wailing and bawling, as Rachel stood in the distance, knowing that there was nothing she could do

Haley thought she'd given Lucas enough time to cool down, and so went looking for him. She exited the hospital, and spotted him slouched over some railings in the distance. She took a deep breath, whilst thinking of what to say as she walked over to him.

"…Are you ok?" Haley whispered

"…Not really" Lucas answered, plainly

"…Rachel said the nurse would let us in, in 5minutes" she said, making conversation

"I don't think I can do it…I cant see her like that, I cant see her knowing this" Lucas shook his head, not looking Haley in the eye as he spoke so that she couldn't see how upset he was

"Lucas, don't be stupid…you have to go see her…she needs you, she needs us all"

"I cant, Haley. I cant, I just, I cant do it, I cant…" Lucas thought of how Brooke was always so full of life, so full of energy, he wanted to keep that memory of her and he knew if he saw her laid up in that hospital bed, that image would be erased from his head. He looked Haley in the eye for the first time since hearing the news "…I'm sorry" he said, he then walked away

"Lucas…" Haley spoke, after him. He continued to walk away


	11. Dont Cry For Me

Nathan, Haley and Peyton had only been waiting in the seating area for 15mintues but it felt like forever, they'd hardly spoken a word to each other since Haley had told them that Lucas couldn't face seeing Brooke. Rachel then walked over, remembering the way Lucas had acted the last time she'd seen him, she wondered why he wasn't there, but didn't want to intrude in their lives at a time like this

"Ok, I've spoken to Brooke, and surprise, surprise she has a couple of rules she wants me to run by you before you go in…" Nathan, Haley and Peyton stood up to hear what Rachel had to say "…Ok, she wants no sympathy from anyone…if you cry, or even look like your about to cry she _will_ throw you out…she wants you to talk to her how you normally would do, that means no sympathetic head tilts, or awkward silences…" Brooke had obviously wanted the last weeks of her life to be as normal as she could make them. Peyton, Haley and Nathan all took a deep breath "You wanna do this one at a time?" Rachel said, both Haley and Nathan looked over at Peyton

"Ok…alright" Peyton breathed

"…Lets go" Rachel said, leading her over to Brooke's room. Peyton rested her hand on the door handle, she felt a wave of sadness rush through her, but she didn't want to get upset. She turned back to where Nathan and Haley were watching, they gave her a faint smile, and she then walked in, she closed the door quietly behind her, before she even glanced at Brooke. She then turned from the door, and saw her laid out on the bed. It looked like Brooke, she'd obviously asked one of the nurses to do her hair and makeup before letting anyone in…it just didn't feel like Brooke. Usually she'd be bouncing off the walls, shouting, screaming, and just being loud and energized. What Peyton was seeing was totally different, and she didn't like it. She felt another wave of sadness rush through her

"Hey girlie" Brooke said, quite cheerily. Peyton wondered how she could sound so happy after the events that had unfolded that day. Peyton shifted closer to Brooke's bedside, whilst looking around the room

"Hi…" she whispered. Brooke then gave her a faint smile, at that exact moment Peyton felt her emotions take over her, and tears began flowing down her cheeks. She looked to the ground so that Brooke couldn't see her upset, but she noticed anyway

"Did you not listen to the rules?…go" Brooke waved her towards the door

"What?" Peyton asked, confused

"Out you go, ill have no crying in here…send the next one in…" Brooke said, again, in quite a cheerful manner. Whilst Peyton looked a little hesitant "…go" Brooke said, waving her out of the door. Peyton, still with tears streaming down her face, looked at Brooke and then left the room. When she got out of the room, Nathan and Haley ran towards her

"What's happened? Is she ok?" Nathan asked, panicking

"Yeah, yeah. She's ok" Haley and Nathan waited for a reason why Peyton left the room "…I got upset" Peyton said, nodding her head "She was serious when she said she'd throw you out…" Peyton continued, she then sat down on one of the seats and grabbed a tissue from her bag. Nathan and Haley both stared at each other

"Together…" they both mumbled at the same time, then they both nodded in agreement with each other and made there way towards the door. Haley opened the door, to reveal Brooke laid on the bed, with a smile plastered across her face. The exact same emotions that had befallen Peyton a few moments ago, were beginning to take over the minds and hearts of Nathan and Haley. Nathan, being the stronger of the two, edged his way towards Brooke first, with Haley following

"Decided to conquer me in pairs I see…" Brooke joked, whilst Haley and Nathan smiled, falsely

"How you doing?…" Nathan whispered, whilst sitting beside her, Haley sat the other side

"I'm ok…I mean if your gonna blackout, its good to do it in a bikini…its easier to attract the doctors that way…" Brooke joked, once again. Whilst Nathan and Haley looked uncomfortable "So…where's Lucas?" Brooke asked Haley and Nathan. Somehow they managed to convince themselves that she might not have noticed Lucas was missing. Haley and Nathan both looked at each other

"Lucas left…" Nathan said, as he shifted about in his chair

"…He's really upset, Brooke. He said he couldn't see you like this" Haley said, as she held Brooke's hand. Brooke felt disappointed and upset that Lucas had left, she wanted so badly to see him, to talk to him and to explain the situation. She couldn't believe he'd left, she needed him now more than ever. "…He'll be here Brooke, he just needs some time" Haley whispered, when she saw the disappointment written on Brooke's face

"That's exactly what I don't have, Hales" tears began to fill Brooke's eyes, she took a deep breath "Great, now I'm going against my own rules…what a baby" Brooke said, to herself. Nathan and Haley gave a small but genuine laugh at Brooke's words, Haley hugged Brooke. Peyton then opened the door, and quietly shifted towards the bed. Brooke could tell she'd been crying because her eyes were puffy and red. Brooke smiled at her best friend, and held out her arm to invite Peyton into the embrace they were all sharing. Peyton fell into Brooke's arms, and they all held each other whilst tears streamed down their faces.

Peyton had been ordered to take some time away from Brooke's bedside after she'd been there for several hours, so she decided to go home and cancel the flights they all had booked for tomorrow. There was no way any of them were going anywhere at a time like this, they were gonna be there for Brooke till the end, no matter what. After doing that, she decided to walk back to the hospital, she thought that this would clear her head so that she could be stronger for Brooke when she got back there. She got close to Karen's café, and thought that she might as well drop in and see how Deb was doing whilst Karen was on her honeymoon. She opened the door and heard the bell jangle, everyone in the café turned to see who had just entered, just as they'd always done. Everyone that was except for Lucas, who seemed to be in his own cocoon. He was slouched over the counter, staring into his coffee. Peyton walked over and sat next to him, whilst ordering a coffee from one of the waitresses behind the counter

"Hey…" she said, quietly as to not disturb him too much "Haley told me what you said…" Peyton continued, but Lucas didn't even acknowledge her presence "She wants you there, Luke. She needs you there…" still Lucas didn't say or do anything, he didn't even flinch "…I'm not gonna lie to you, Lucas, I'm not going to wrap it up in cotton wool…its hard to see her like that. The first time you walk into that room and see her laid up in that bed…it breaks your heart, it really does…" Peyton said, getting slightly upset "…But its still Brooke…she's still the same person she's always been" the waitress gave Peyton her coffee, she stood up and began to walk away but turned back to face Lucas "I understand that your scared, Luke. But, she's got two weeks left to live…how scared do you think she is right now?" Peyton said, before exiting the café. Still Lucas didn't flinch.


	12. Dare To Leave Me Now

The next morning the atmosphere in the hospital seemed to have changed, the group had all had chance to come to terms with Brooke's illness, all of them except for Lucas, of course. Know one had heard from him since yesterday, and they all just figured that he needed some time to himself, and then he would be here. Brooke on the other hand, had doubts, she wasn't sure if he was coming at all, and that scared her. He was the only person she so desperately wanted to be there, and he wasn't. He'd given up on her, in her time of need, but she knew she still had to make the last two weeks of her life count, even if he wasn't going to be around to see them. So, she put on a brave face, as she always did, and pretended that there was nothing wrong

"So, no offence intended here, Rachel, but how the hell did you manage become a doctor?…" Haley asked, whilst the others smiled

"I don't exactly know the answer to that one myself…" she said, filling in some notes on the clipboard at the foot of Brooke's bed "After I lost Cooper, it kinda put my life into perspective, you know?…so I clamped down and did something with my life"

"…Well, waking up to your face was enough to make me wanna blackout again…" Brooke joked, as she shuffled in her bed. Rachel threw her a mock evil

"Why do you think I made a special request to have you as my patient?…" Rachel joked back

"So, you could…ask me for some fashion advice…" Brooke said, looking Rachel up and down "I could work that nurses outfit _so_ much better than you…"

"And, knowing Brooke…she probably has worked a nurses outfit before" Peyton said, as Brooke raised one eyebrow and bit her lip. The others began to laugh. The door then opened to reveal a very tired looking Lucas, he'd obviously been up all night. The laughter stopped, immediately, whilst all eyes focused on him. He looked at the ground for a few seconds, not daring to raise his head, not wanting to let that image of Brooke, so frail and in pain erase his memory of what she was really like. He rubbed the tears, that were beginning to form in his eyes, away and raised his head. That's when he saw her, it wasn't until that moment that the reality of what was going to happen hit him. He shut his eyes tightly, and dropped his head, whilst muttering unknown words to himself. The group then looked at each other

"I think we should, err…" Haley muttered, pointing everyone towards the door

"Yeah…" Peyton said, under her breath. They then said a small goodbye to Brooke and begun leaving the room. Lucas edged towards Brooke's bed, without saying a word

"Hey, someone did recite the rules to him right?" Brooke asked Rachel right before she left. She didn't particularly want to know the answer to her question, she was just more comfortable joking around at a time like this

"…Just throw him out if he breaks them, will have him writing some lines or something outside" Rachel joked, once again. She then left the room. Brooke smiled faintly at Lucas, but she felt ecstatic inside, she was so happy he'd decided to show up, even if he was a little late. For a few seconds neither of them spoke, she thought it was best to give him a little time to take what he was seeing in, it had been hard for him to get himself there in the first place

"…How can you joke around like that?…" Lucas asked, quite harshly. Brooke didn't say a word and instead just looked down "You do know what's going on, right?" Lucas asked, sarcastically, whilst his eyes filled up with tears

"Yes, Lucas. Of course I know what's going on" she said, shaking her head "But, if I don't laugh about this…what else is there for me to do?" there was a slight pause after Brooke's words. Lucas sat down beside her, and looked at her sympathetically "…Don't look at me like that, Luke. Please" she said, getting a little upset herself

"How do you want me to look at you?…" Lucas said, not wanting an answer "…I'm losing you and there's…there's just nothing I can do about it" Lucas said, whilst a tear fell down his cheek. He then began to look around the room, all the while the picture of what Brooke use to be like descended further and further away from him, he panicked and became scared of losing that memory. He stood up and backed away from Brooke's bed "I'm sorry, sorry. I just, I cant do this…" he stuttered, whilst moving towards the door "I thought I could do this, but…I cant" he said. Brooke started to become upset, she couldn't let him leave, it'd taken him all this time to get here to begin with, by the time he plucked up the courage to come back again it might be too late

"Don't you dare walk away from me Lucas Scott!…" she said, aggressively through her tears. Lucas spun around to look at her "Don't you dare leave me now, I cant do this on my own…I just cant, I cant do this by myself, I need you here" she wailed "You think it's hard to see me this way, try being this way!...dont walk away from me now, Luke. I cant do this, not by myself, not alone" she repeated. Lucas moved over to Brooke, and pressed her head against his chest, whilst she continued to repeat words of denial

"It's ok, It's ok…I'm not going anywhere…I promise" Lucas hushed her, it took her a few seconds to calm down, Lucas wiped the tears from his eyes and sat beside her. For a split second they gazed into each others eyes, tears rolling down their faces "…Are you scared?" Lucas asked, with gritted teeth, his words were almost silent. Brooke thought about building the walls back up around her, she thought about lying to him, about telling him that she wasn't scared but she had two weeks left to live, this was the time to start being honest. She took a deep breath, and began to speak

"…Terrified" Brooke answered, whilst giving a slight smile to Lucas "But, you're here now…I'll be ok" she said, stroking the side of his face. Lucas then clasped both of his palms around one of Brooke's hands, and bowed his head down to kiss it, leaving his head there for a few minutes so that Brooke couldn't see how upset he was getting

"I'm sorry…" Lucas said, with his head still next to Brooke's hand. Judging by the shakiness in his voice, she could tell he was getting upset even though she couldn't see his face

"Its ok baby…" she said, smiling whilst running her fingers through his hair. He began to get even more upset "Come here…" Brooke said, waving Lucas onto the bed. Lucas raised his head and laid down next to her, he rested his head on her chest and began to break down in her arms "Oh, my boy…" she said, cradling his head

"I don't wanna lose you…" Lucas said "I only just got you back…"

"I know…I know" she said, faintly whilst kissing the top of his head "Your still brooding, I see" she joked through her tears


	13. 23 Pointer

Lucas hadn't left Brooke's side since he arrived at the hospital four hours ago, the darkness had crept in and he'd shut the blinds and turned the lamp on which was next to Brooke's bed, being careful not to make any noise. He then had sat back down beside her, intertwining his fingers with hers and brushing the hair out of her eyes. After an hour of staring at how peaceful she'd become, he too had also fallen asleep, his hand still holding hers and his head rested on the side of the bed.

The next day, Brooke had awoken to the vision of Lucas asleep in the armchair opposite her bed, a blanket wedged under his neck and wrapped around his body. After eating her breakfast and staring at him for quite a while, she decided to get up and open the blinds to let some sunlight into the room. As she pulled on the draw string, Lucas began to squirm and rubbed his eyes before opening them. He focused on Brooke who was just getting back into bed, and stretched out his arms

"Morning you…" Brooke said, cheerfully "You didn't have to stay with me all night, you know?" she continued, taking a sip of the orange juice she had next to her bed

"I know I didn't have to… but, I wanted to" he replied, with a smile across his face. There was silence for a few seconds, whilst Lucas seemed to stare lovingly into Brooke's eyes, both of them smiling at each other. A knock on the door broke the silence

"Knock, knock" Haley said, as she entered the room "How you doing, girlie?" Haley asked, as she moved nearer Brooke's bed

"I'm ok…I just _about_ survived a night of basketball talk, and _unbelievably _loud snoring" Brooke joked, whilst referring to Lucas

"Sorry…" Lucas said, cringing. The sunlight outside then caught his eye, he stood up and walked over to the window "We should do something today…" he smiled "…Lets go down to the river court…all of us"

"Oh yeah, it'll be just like old times" Haley started to get excited

"I'd really like that…" Brooke smiled at Lucas

When Lucas had called everyone and told them what the plans were, they were happy to come down. They wanted Brooke's last days to be as enjoyable as possible, and had been warned by Peyton not to get upset, or at least not to show it to Brooke. Lucas wanted it to be a happy day for her, a day full of laughter and fun. The guys were playing basketball on the court, whilst the girls were talking and sunbathing on the patch of grass next to the court. Lucas ran over to the cool box that was next to the girls and grabbed a carton of orange juice out, he opened it and began drinking from the carton. Brooke walked up behind him and slapped him across the back of the head, he choked for a second on the juice and she grabbed the carton from his hand, Lucas stared at her for a second, looking for her explanation

"In all the years that we've known each other, how many times have I told you…not to drink from the carton?" Brooke warned aggressively, whilst pointing at him

"Oh, I don't know…about the same amount of times that I've told you…it's rude to point" Lucas smiled, grabbing the finger that was pointed at him

"That's not the rudest thing Brooke's ever done…_believe me?" _Peyton laughed, Brooke then hissed and made a claw shape with her fingers, Peyton did the same back to Brooke. The ball that the guys were playing then came flying over and hit Brooke in the ankles

"Heads up!" Nathan shouted, a little too late

"Ok, how much do _you_ guys suck?" Brooke yelled over to the guys

"Yeah, that's like the fifth time that balls come flying over here in the last hour" Haley shouted at the guys who were on the court

"Were just a little out of practice, that's all" Lucas justified himself and the guys

"A _little?…_I could shoot more 23 pointers than all you guys put together" Brooke mocked

"_23 pointers?" _Mouth questioned, with a confused expression on his face

"Yeah…when we use to play…she'd get more for 'being cute'…" Lucas whispered to Mouth, quoting 'being cute' with his fingers "You not what chicks are like, man" Lucas continued

"Hey, what you two girls whispering about?" Brooke joked to Lucas and Mouth, gaining a laugh from the rest of the girls, Lucas' expression went dead as he looked at Brooke

"…Alright, let's go big shot" Lucas waved Brooke behind him as he made his way towards the court "You girls think you can do this better than us…lets go" Peyton, Haley, Brooke, Bevin and some other girls followed Lucas to the court "Ok, girls vs. guys…game to 15, winners get 200bucks from the losing side" Lucas explained the rules, to both teams. He looked to each side for approval of the rules, they agreed. The guys then walked to their half and the girls to there's, as Brooke crossed paths with Lucas she winked at him

"Good luck, baby…you'll need it" Brooke said the latter of the sentence quieter than the rest

"Hey, you're the one with a team full of cheerleaders" Lucas laughed to himself, and walked to his team, Brooke walked to hers and they huddled together

"Ok, we gotta beat these suckers…" Brooke said to her team

"We cant beat guys, Brooke. There a bunch of guys, how we gonna beat a bunch of guys?" Bevin said, as Brooke looked back at the guys, Lucas was looking smugly at her. Brooke rolled her eyes and turned her head back to her team

"What do we have that they don't?…" Brooke asked her team. Peyton looked over to where Nathan was wiping his sweaty face on his muddy shirt

"Cleanliness…" Peyton said, sarcastically

"No…these…" Brooke said, pointing to her chest "And, this…" she said, pointing at her ass. The girls smiled at each other

Over an hour later the points were even, 14-14. The girls had played a game of seduction and flirting to get their points, they'd stolen the ball from the guys on numerous occasions by diverting their attention to their asses or to their chest. The game was tied and came down to Lucas' free throw, the girls stood and taunted Lucas to try and make him miss, but he was focused and knew he could score. He stood there for a second and looked at the net, he then looked at Brooke. A million thoughts ran through his mind, the times they'd shared, the laughs they'd had. He shot the ball and missed. The girls jumped in the air and hugged each other, screaming and shouting with excitement

"You missed on purpose…" Nathan said, in Lucas' ear, knowing what he'd just done. Lucas nodded "…Good call, man" Nathan agreed, seeing how happy Brooke and the rest of the girls were

"Err, I might be mistaken but I think, _I think _that's 200bucks please…" Brooke said, mockingly, whilst holding her hand out. Between them, the guys pulled out the cash and gave it to the girls, they again, screamed with excitement


	14. Kind Words For My Best Friend

A week had passed and, each day had become a little easier for Brooke, but a little harder for the people around her. Her and Peyton had been shopping together for the day and she had reluctantly agreed to let Peyton take her back to the hospital. It's not like she didn't want to spend time with Peyton she just felt like she wanted to be alone right now, but knew that sooner or later her and Peyton were going to have to talk about the past, they were going to have to put old issues to rest once and for all, and now was as good of a time than any. Brooke's face winced as she rested lightly onto her bed, in the hospital room she had been appointed too, whilst Peyton watched from the chair at the end of her bed

"You ok?" Peyton said, in a panic after seeing the expression on Brooke's face

"I'm fine…I've just got a slight headache" Brooke explained, pulling the sheets over herself

"Well, you want me to get you some pills, or something?…a drink of water, come food?" Peyton blurted out all at once

"No, I'm fine, Peyton, really. You need to stop worrying" Brooke smiled

"Sorry" Peyton whispered, relaxing back down into her seat. There was a moment of silence, Peyton looked up and noticed Brooke's eyes set firmly on her "What?" she asked, wondering what she was thinking

"…Are we ever going to talk about them?" Brooke raised both of her eyebrows. Peyton looked down, and immediately knew who Brooke was referring too

"…It's not the time, Brooke. It's not the time, or the place" Peyton explained, looking around the room

"…That's the thing, Peyton. This is the time and the place, there is no other scenario…this is the only one I have left" Brooke replied, as Peyton looked upset

"…You still love him, don't you?" Peyton asked, not sure about what Brooke's reaction would be

"Do you?…" she replied, Peyton tilted her head slightly

"Depends which one your talking about" Peyton smirked, gently. Brooke laughed a little "…I done love Luke, Brooke" she admitted "…I don't really know that I ever did.." she smiled "We were young…naïve, kinda stupid, ya know?" Brooke shook her head at Peyton's words "Me and Lucas have always had a lot in common, you know that…but, was it love?…I'm not that sure anymore"

"And, with…Jake?" Brooke asked, awkwardly. Peyton looked at the ground for a second

"Now, he was a different story…" Peyton exhaled through her words "…I still think about him everyday, about him and Jenny. I try to stop myself, because I know I'm hurting but I just cant" Peyton explained "…There's like a million and one help lines for self harming…but, not this kind, not the emotional kind…because that's what I'm doing, Brooke. I mean, I'm not taking blades to my wrists, but I am making myself think about him, and that's hurting me" Peyton continued, Brooke looked over at her best friend

"…I'm sorry, Peyton…for what I did" Brooke whispered, seeing how upset Peyton was

"…Did I just hear, right?…an apology from Brooke Davis?" Peyton joked a little through her sadness

"I hope you heard it good coz you want be getting another…" Brooke joked back

"…Hey, its not like I've been innocent in this whole thing…far from it, in fact" Peyton said, smiling a little, Brooke sighed loudly

"…When the hell did girls start tearing each other down like this?" Brooke asked herself

"When boys came into the picture, maybe?" Peyton answered, quite obviously

"…Can you imagine, if we would have just known what we wanted back then?" Brooke said, shaking her head "If we would have realised what we had when we had it?" Brooke continued

"…I guess that's all part of the game of life" Peyton explained "It's always got a way of learning you a lesson…your mistakes make you stronger, I guess" there was a moment of silence "…I cant believe this is happening" Peyton shook her head in disbelief

"…Like you said, maybe this is just life's way of teaching me a lesson" Brooke sighed "…And hopefully after all this is said and done, ill be in a world of…shopping malls and buckets of cookie dough ice cream" she laughed "…And, If I get one wish…" Brooke said, holding up a finger on her hand "It'll be for you to get everything you want, P. Sawyer…whether that be Lucas, Jake or…" Brooke thought for a second "…Haley" Brooke explained, saying the latter with a smirk across her face, Peyton laughed "…I know we've had our differences, man…we've had fights that could have destroyed mankind…but, your still my best friend, and no matter what's happened I still want the best for you" Peyton manages to smile through the tears that have been formed from Brooke's words

"…I love you, Brooke Penelope Davis" Peyton said, wrapping her arms around Brooke's neck

"I love you too, Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer" Brooke smiled back

After Brooke's chat with Peyton, she figured she should maybe talk to the rest of the group as well. She did only have a week left to live after all, and she wanted nothing to go unsaid before she died. She decided to finally let the walls around her down and tell the truth, show her emotions and whatever that may result in she was ready to deal with the consequences. It was early morning and Brooke had just been woken by the noise of Rachel clattering about at the bottom of her bed

"…Still tryna piss me off I see" Brooke questioned, jokingly in Rachel's direction

"Well, your obviously full of joy and delight this morning…" Rachel rolled her eyes grabbed the clipboard from the bottom of Brooke's bed, she then walked over and stood at her bedside "Now, have you taken your morning dose of medication?" Rachel asked

"Seen as though I've barely opened my eyes…no, I haven't" Brooke answered

"…It's probably better that way, I've got time to slip some poison in it" Rachel smiled "It'd make my job a lot easier…"

"I thought you had to like pass a personality test before becoming a nurse, you know to see if you're a nice, friendly person" Brooke asked, sarcastically

"You do…I cheated" Rachel joked along with Brooke

"Really?…I thought that maybe you just slept with the manager?" Brooke quipped

"Oh, I did that too" Rachel answered, smiling. She then began to leave the room

"Hey, Rach…I've only got six days left…are you sure you don't wanna say anything nice to me while you've still got the chance?" Brooke asked "The next time you come in here, it could be too late" Rachel paused for a moment

"…I like your top" Rachel smiled, referring to the tank top Brooke was wearing. Brooke shook her head and smiled, Rachel left the room


	15. Everything You've Ever Wanted

Later that day, Haley had gone to visit Brooke. They had spent the best part of the last three hours talking about old times, but the through all the laughter Brooke still felt that Haley wasn't being totally herself.

"Hey…are you ok?" Brooke asked, a little concerned at Haley's mood

"Yeah, I'm fine…why?" Haley stuttered, quietly, looking up from the magazine she was reading to Brooke

"You just seem a little distant…that's all" Brooke stated, shrugging her shoulders slightly. Haley looked at the ground

"I'm ok…" she mumbled, looking at the ground. Haley was a terrible liar and Brooke saw straight through it

"Ok, come here…tell me what's up?" Brooke said, patting her palm on the seat next to her bed, Haley began to speak but was interrupted "And, don't even try getting out of it…come on" Haley walked over and sat on the seat next to Brooke. She sighed at Brooke, not wanting to tell her what was going on, Brooke opened her eyes wide and pouted at Haley, waiting for her to tell her what was going on

"…Ok, but just promise you want say anything to anyone?…" Haley said, reluctantly

"…Whatever it is…I promise you ill take it too the grave" Brooke joked, rolling her eyes at Haley. Haley looked a little hurt at how Brooke could handle the subject of dieing so lightly "Tell me…come on, tutor secret keeper" Brooke smiled, Haley took a deep breath and looked around the empty room for anyone that could hear her next words, she looked very much on edge and Brooke also looked around with confusion plastered across her face as to what Haley was actually looking for. Haley turned back to Brooke, swiftly, this made Brooke jump a little, Haley then leant in closer to Brooke to be sure that know one could hear

"…I'm, I'm…pregnant" she whispered, Brooke smiled and clapped her hands together in excitement

"Then I stand corrected…tutor mom" Brooke changed the details of her earlier comment "Wait your keeping it, right?" Brooke asked, wondering why Nathan didn't yet know

"…Yeah, of course I am…I'm happy about it" Haley said, rubbing her sweaty palms together, quite nervously

"So, then why cant we tell Nathan?…" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows

"I just haven't found the right time yet…" she lied once again

"Haley!…" Brooke sighed, knowing that she was lying

"Ok, alright…I'm scared, ok" Haley blurted all at once

"Of what?…"

"I don't know…scared that he'll leave, that he wont want this as much as I do" Haley explained, whilst pacing around the room

"Don't be stupid, Haley…he'd never leave you…how could anyone ever leave you?" Brooke smiled at Haley "…I cant believe your gonna be a mom?" Haley smiled "…I just wish…I wish I could be here to see you and Nathan try and cope with this" Brooke said, getting a little upset

"Me too…" Haley replied, welling up

"You'll make a great mom, Hales" Brooke said, holding her hand tightly "Pick up your socks, get your feet off the table, its past curfew" Brooke said, in a motherly manner

"…I wouldn't say that" Haley laughed

"You said that to me last week…" Brooke smiled, Haley smiled back a little

Haley and Lucas sat in the waiting room, whilst the doctors did some tests on Brooke. She'd become increasingly tired and worn down as each day passed, and everyone, including Brooke knew that her life was coming to an end, they just didn't want to admit it.

"So, are you ever gonna tell her how you feel?" Haley said, after a moment of silence between her and Lucas

"What?…" Lucas looked over at Haley who was sat opposite him

"Brooke?…" Haley stated, raising her eyebrows and dipping her head "Come on, Luke…everyone knows how you feel" Haley replied. Lucas rolled his eyes, and began to speak, Haley knew that he was going to try and deny it and stopped him before he could even open his mouth "…You've never lied to me Lucas Eugene Scott, so don't you dare start now…" Haley warned, Lucas took a deep breath

"She's dieing, Hales…" Lucas said, through gritted teeth "…She cant deal with this now…" Haley stood up and sat next to Lucas, who was leant forward with his elbows rested on his knees and his face rested in his palms

"She cant deal with this, right now?…or you cant?" Haley stated, looking him in the eyes "Stop being so damn stubborn Lucas…isn't it that what's gotten you here to begin with, huh?" Haley asked, but continued to talk when she received no answer from Lucas "Years of loving Brooke? years of wanting her?…one phone call, Luke, one phone call and you could have spent the last three years happy"

"I know ok, Haley…don't you think I know that, its been the biggest regret of my life"

"…Well, you leave it too late and this will be…and, believe me on this, Luke…it'll be a lot harder to deal with" Haley opened her eyes wide, Lucas sighed, and rolled the tension around in his shoulders

"…Everything with me and Brooke, is just…its just good at the moment, ya know?…and if I do this, now…if I try to make it more…" Lucas begins to get saddened

"…You could ruin it…I know…" Haley finished the sentence for him, whilst holding his hand "…Or you could get everything you've ever wanted since you were fifteen" Haley said, running her hand comfortingly through his hair "Granted…she's only got a few days left…but, you suck it up and tell her how you feel, and these last few days of your life could end up meaning more to you than the last few years of you life, Luke" Haley stroked the side of his face, lightly, comforting him once again

"…And, if she doesn't feel the same?" Lucas asked, looking into Haley's eyes

"Is that really a question you need answering?" Haley replied, knowing that deep down inside Lucas already knew the answer


	16. I Love You Too, My Broody Boy

_**Lucas sat beside Brooke's bedside, knowing that he was about to put himself on the line, he wasn't sure if this was the right time to be telling a dieing Brooke that he loved her, but there was no other time, this was the only chance he was ever going to get. Brooke entered the room from the bathroom, and turned the radio on as she walked over to her bed, she pulled the sheets over her and smiled at Lucas**_

"So, what do you want to talk to me about?" Brooke asked, Lucas looked at a little surprised at how she knew that he had something to tell her

"How did you know that…" he was interrupted

"When it comes to you Lucas Scott, I _always_ know" she smiled

"…How did it get to this Brooke?…" he exhaled as he spoke, but didn't give Brooke a chance to reply "I mean our relationships always been so…hard, ya know?…man, I screwed up _a lot _when we were together" Lucas looked up at Brooke, she shrugged her shoulders

"Hey, I'm not gonna disagree with you…" she joked, he smiled a little

"We've been through so much together…" he said, looking her dead in the eye, she took his hand comfortingly and smiled

"Yeah…" she whispered "Yeah, we have"

"Yet were still here…now…when it really matters" she agreed with his words "You've given me everything, you know that" he said, still his eyes were fixed on hers "When things were _so_ hard, when things got _so _bad, when I felt like I couldn't go on…it was you, it wasn't Peyton, Haley, Nathan, Mom…it was you" she smiled, sweetly at him "It was always you…it was the dimples when you'd smile…………it was the kink in your eyebrow when you were trying to be cute…………it was the sway of your hips when you walked…………it was the twinkle in your eyes when you'd reassure me" a tear rolled down his cheek, he looked down at the ground and then back up to her face "It's always been you Brooke, always…even when you didn't know it, even when you were a thousand miles away…there hasn't been one day that's passed by that I haven't thought about you……that I haven't loved you…" tears of happiness began to form in Brooke's eyes, her face quickly flinched towards the radio as _that _song played through the speakers, the song that played when she left Tree Hill, the song that her and Lucas danced to at Karen's wedding…the song that made her fill with regret now seemed to be her own personal anthem, and she knew that no matter what happened to her after she passed on she'd never forget this song, the song that filled her with so many emotions… "Because I do, Brooke…I do love you…I always have, and I'm certain I always will…" Lucas continued, before Brooke could reply the door swung open and Haley, Nathan and Peyton entered, arguing about something trivial

"Ok, that is _so _not true…" Peyton protested "…The cute doctor was looking at me, he smiled straight at me" she said to Haley, Haley looked offended

"Err, he was looking at me…he spoke to me earlier and said that he wasn't into blondes…" she mocked Peyton

"Err, sorry to burst your bubble…but your blonde too" Nathan said "And, your also married…" Nathan argued

"Maybe he was making eyes at Nathan…" Lucas joked, the four of them then began arguing. The melody of the song ran through Brooke's head, Lucas' last words still in her mind and the vision of her friends in front of her was the last thing she saw. Her eyes then started to close once again as she lay, on that unbelievably uncomfortable bed. She had been through so much in the past few months, so much worry, guilt and regret, but at that moment in time the chaos seemed to just stop, and everything around her seemed wonderful. The reason for this was that she'd done what she came to do…make peace, and let go

A few days later, Rachel had found something in Brooke's room whilst cleaning through the cupboards. Three envelopes, each with a name scrawled on the front, **_Lucas, Peyton and Nathan & Haley _**and a red tank top. The label inside the red tank top had been written on, it read

_**Because I always knew you were jealous of my fashion sense**_

Given the consequences she'd decided to deliver the letters personally, but when she'd got to Lucas', Peyton, Nathan and Haley were there anyway. She figured the tank top was for her as she'd said she liked it one day. She handed each of them an envelope, they sat around the table in the kitchen at Karen's, Peyton opened hers first, tears streamed down her face as she read the words

_**Don't make the same mistake I did P. Sawyer, call him**_

_**Jagelski's number 07749966222**_

_**P.S. Hoes over bros always**_

_**P.P.S There's some real nice lingerie in Barney's that I'm sure you'd look hot in, go get him goldilocks xxx**_

Haley put her hand on Peyton's shoulder supportively, Nathan opened the envelope with his and Haley's name on it, he looked shocked as he read the words aloud

_**Just a couple of names I think you should consider for the baby,**_

_**Brooke (or Penelope) for a girl…and**_

_**Davis for a boy…What dya think?**_

_**And, Nathan I know you're a little slow so I'll spell it out **_

_**HALEY'S PREGANANT!**_

_**Tutor mom, you can thank me when you get up here, ok?**_

_**Naley 4eva…4eva and always xxx**_

While everyone seemed shocked, but equally happy at Haley's news, Lucas walked into his bedroom and took a huge breath and looked up before opening his envelope, he looked back down and smiled as he read the words

_**People who are meant to be together ALWAYS find their way in the end,**_

_**I love you too, my broody boy!**_

_**X**_

Haley read the text over Lucas' shoulder

"She knew?…" Lucas said, almost silently "She knew I'd say it…"

"I guess she always had faith in you…" Haley put her arms around his waist and they both smiled as they looked down at the words, Brooke's last words.


End file.
